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Downing Street has quashed an attempt by Government advisers to ban the smoking of cigarettes on pavements outside pubs and restaurants.
The idea was put forward by the Health Promotion Taskforce – but dismissed by Boris Johnson’s aides as ‘illiberal’ and ‘nanny state’.
A source said: ‘The feeling was that we have enough on our plate without taking that on.’
The change would have been enacted through licensing regulations.
Under the new proposal, smoking would have been allowed in pub gardens but not on public pavements directly outside food and drink venues. Pictured, stock of people smoking in a coffee shop terrace
Smoking in enclosed public places was banned in England under Tony Blair in 2007, while Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had already done so over the previous 18 months.
The ban has been credited with changing attitudes towards smoking and helping some to quit, although its true impact is unclear. In the decade after the ban was introduced, smoking continued to decline at a similar rate as in the decade beforehand.
Under the new proposal, smoking would have been allowed in pub gardens but not on public pavements directly outside food and drink venues.
Supporters say the argument for such a ban has been
